Rotary apparatus for screening, comminuting and washing



H. J. BAMBI June, 1963 ROTARY APPARATUS FOR SCREENING, COMMINUTING AND WASHING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 17, 1961 INVENTOR [/wnydifiam ATTORN EYS June 11, 1963 H. J. BAMBI 3,093,325

ROTARY APPARATUS FOR SCREENING, COMMINUTING AND WASHING Filed Jan. 17, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 732%? ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,093,325 RQTARY APPARATUS FOR SCREENING, COMMINUTING AND WASHING Harry J. Bambi, 531 E. Fornance St., Norristown, Pa. Filed Jan. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 83,305 4 Claims. (Cl. 241-43) and wash aggregates for inclusion in the concrete mixture. 1

Such apparatus allows for the use of sources of supply in the immediate area of the Work and frees the contractor from the logistic handicap of dependence upon permanent sand and gravel installations. Similar needs are apparent in connection with the construction of roads, particularly those in our secondary and farm-to-market highway systems where the roadbed is made of layers of pre-sized aggregate. Since handling of materials adds nothing but cost, any apparatus which can reduce trucking requirements will, of necessity, cut costs.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a rotary apparatus which will classify material by size into a plurality of portions.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which will comminute material in a series of steps from one size to a smaller size.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rotary apparatus which will wash material in both a concurrent and counter-current manner.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which will perform any or all of the unit operations of classification, comminution and washing.

Other objects of the invention include providing an apparatus which is simple in construction, economical to produce and operate, efficient in function, and light enough to be practically furnished in portable form.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a study of the following specification and drawings of a device embodying the invention.

In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts:

FIGURE 1 represents a side view, partially cut away, of an apparatus embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 represents a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 represents a sectional view (e.g. an end view) taken along line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 represents a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 represents an expanded partial sectional view taken along 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 represents a partial sectional view of the feed end of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 7 represents a section taken along 7-7 of FIGURE 6.

Referring now to the drawing, wherein like numerals represent like parts, and with particular reference to FIGURE 1, it will be observed that the apparatus comprises a portable frame A, on which is mounted a trough B and a feeder C. Within trough B and upon frame A is rotatably mounted a drum D. Auxiliary co-axial drum E is also mounted on frame A in series with drum D but independently of trough B.

As best shown in FIGURES l and 4, the frame A is basically a rectangle comprising longitudinal beams or girders 10 and connecting cross-beams 11. These members may be of any conventional type, such as the usual I-beam or box girders, sufficiently large to carry the static and dynamic loads. The rigidity of the structure is also increased by a plurality of arcuate trough support plates 12 which connect members 10 and are welded or otherwise suitably affixed thereto. Frame A is also provided with a motor pedestal 13 upon which is suitably mounted a standard gear motor or any other prime mover, electrical or mechanical, capable of supplying rotational power. The end of the frame distal (i.e. downstream) from the motor pedestal is provided with a plurality of roller bearings 15. In the portable embodiment of the apparatus exemplified herein, rear axles 16 are attached to frame A with hangers 17 and are provided with suitably tired rear wheels 18. Front wheels 19 are mounted on front axle 20 on which is pivotally mounted frame A with hanger assembly 21; so that the entire apparatus may be attached to a vehicle with draw bar 22.

Trough B is mounted on frame A and serves the dual purpose of being a container for wash water and a sup port for other components of the appanatus. The trough, which generally semi-cylindrically complements the curvature of drum D, includes an arcuate bottom 30, front end plate 31 and rear end plate 32. The bottom 30 rests on trough support plates 12 and may be welded or otherwise suitably afiixed thereto. A constant water level is maintained in the trough by conventional means such as an overflow pipe 33, preferably located downstream near rear end plate 32. The trough may be internally divided transversely to delineate zones which are in alignment with the internal zones of drum D which will be discussed below.

Feeder C, as best shown in FIGURES 1, 6 and 7, includes a bin or hopper 40 having tapered sides 42 and straight sides 41. This hopper may be provided with a level alarm or controller 43 and a make-up water line 44. The hopper 40 may be equipped, if desired, with convention-al anti-bridging devices such as vibrators, expanding pulsating internal bladders and the like but, when water from pipe 44 accompanies the feed, such devices are seldom used. The hopper discharges through outlet chute 45 into a sleeve or trough 46 upon which the entire hopper is supported. The sleeve 46 is an integral part of a screw conveyor or feeder which includes a spindle 47 upon which is mounted a helix or helicoid 48. The shaft of the motor 14 is connected to spindle 47 by a coupling 49, preferably a flexible coupling. The end of sleeve 46 proximate the motor is provided with a suitable stuffing box 59 to prevent leakage of water and to seal the sleeve. Rotation of the motor causes material from the hopper to be moved by the helix from chute 45 toward the upstream end of drum D and to spill out of sleeve 46 into the interior of the drum. Sleeve 46 is aflixed to front end plate 31 and is supported thereby. Suitable auxiliary supports for the hopper and sleeve, transmitting the load thereof to the frame A, may of course be employed. The helix or helicoid 48 may be either right-hand or left-hand provided that rotation of spindle 47 in the direction of motor rotation causes material to move as shown by the arrows in FIG- URE 6.

Drum D is essentially a hollow cylinder defined by foraminous walls 60, front end wall '61 and rear end wall 62. The drum is rotatably mounted around its longitudinal axis, within trough B, and may advantageously be pitched downwardly from front to rear. Drum shaft 63, which is located on the longitudinal axis, is connected at one end to spindle 47 by coupling 64, is journaled through journal bearing 65 at the other end, and extends therethrough into auxiliary drum E. The walls 60 are linked to the shaft 63 and kept in fixed spaced relationship thereto by a plurality of spiders such as 66 as Well as by an inter-zone bafile plate divider 67. The bearing 65 is mounted on a bracket 68 which is attached to an internal sleeve 69 which, in turn, is affixed to rear end plate 32.

The baffle plate divider 67, as best shown in FIGURE 2, has a scalloped perimeter and the scalloping creates a plurality of channels 70 between the perimeter of the plate and wall 60. The baffle divides drum D into a plurality of internal zones, a first zone 71 and a second zone 72. The only communication between zones 71 and 72 is via channels 70 and the annular space between the perimeter of divider 67 and the interior of wall 60. Thus, the size of material which can move from zone 71 to zone 72 is limited and may be predetermined.

The walls 60, as has been stated, are foraminous and may be made of perforated plate or suitably reinforced screen. If screening is used, the walls may be of the type disclosed in US. Patent 2,530,862 issued November 21, 1950 or of any construction which provides a strong yet forarninous shell. The mesh of the screen used, or the openings of the equivalent perforated plate, is dictated by the particular operation. Thus, if it is desired to separate bar sand in zone 71 as the fine component passing through wall 60 from interior to exterior, a 12 mesh screen has been found satisfactory. The wall in zone 72 usually has larger openings, on the order of 4 mesh.

To the exterior of wall 60, within the transverse boundaries of zone 71 and contiguous with it, is aifixed a helicoid 73 which rotates along with drum D. This helicoid or screw may be left or right hand and cooperates with trough B to serve as a screw conveyor for moving material, which has passed from zone 71 through wall 60, along the trough from left to right (with reference to FIGURE 1), that is toward front end plate 31. To the drums exterior, in the vicinity of end plate 31 are affixed a plurality of buckets 74 which also rotate with drum D and lift material out of the bottom of trough B, discharging it into fines outlet chute 75 in a path indicated by the arrows in FIGURE 7. Obviously the hand of the conveyor could be reversed and the buckets located at the other end of zone 71.

Within the drum D, in zone 71, are a plurality of comminuting balls 76 or other grinding means such as bars or rods. These elements serve to break up the material in the drum and enhance the attrition caused by rotation. If desired, the drum may be provided with internal vanes adapted to lift and drop the balls as rotation occurs. Until material is comminuted it cannot pass into either zone 72 or trough B.

The exterior of drum D, within the confines of zone 72, is provided with a second helicoid or screw 77 which is affixed to the exterior of wall 60. This screw also cooperates with trough B as does the previously discussed screw 73. However, whereas screw 73 is a left-hand helicoid as shown, screw 77 is a right-hand helicoid and, consequently, rotation of drum D causes material which has passed from zone 72 through wall 60 into trough B to be urged toward rear end plate 32. Buckets 78 are afiixed to the exterior of wall 60 proximate end plate or wall 62 and these lift the material and discharge it through chute 79 as indicated in FIGURE 4. Zone 72 may also be provided with grinding balls, if desired, for additional attrition which will tend to increase the volume of material passing through chute 79.

Within zone 72, proximate rear end wall 62, a plurality of internal buckets 80 are provided. These buckets lift the tailings from within zone 72 and transfer them, as best shown in FIGURES 4 and to tailings discharge chute 81. Chute 81 is mounted on internal sleeve 69 and actually carries the tailings through it. Thus, to recapitulate,

three difierently sized outputs are obtainable from the device through chutes 75, 79 and 81 respectively.

If water is used in trough B, an option available in the apparatus, the material which exits through chute 75 will be scrubbed in a concurrent manner as it travels through zone 71 and in a counter-current manner as it is moved by helicoid 73 toward buckets 74. The streams leaving through chutes 79 and 81 will be scrubbed in a concurrent manner. Additionally, all streams have been subjected to the mechanical scrubbing effect of the rotating elements co-acting with the wash water.

The downstream tailings leaving through chute 81 may be further screened, if desired, and this is the purpose of the auxiliary drum E. The drum comprises a front end plate to which are co-axially afiixed an internal cylindrical foraminous wall 91 and an external cylindrical foraminous wall 92. These walls may be rigidly spaced apart in any conventional manner and their construction is similar to that described in connection with wall or shell 60. The end of the drum remote from shaft 63 is provided with a bearing ring 93, external of wall 92, which rotatably contacts bearings 15 and is thereby supported. The rotation of shaft 63 is transmitted to the drum E by a spider 94 which is removably attached to the shaft. The entire drum may be removed from the apparatus when not needed or, alternatively, the output of chute 81 may be diverted. However, when additional size separations are required, the output of chute 81 is dropped onto the interior of foraminous wall 91. The tailings or oversize material travels longitudinally downstream and drops off the end where it may be collected whereas the balance of the material passes through wall 91 onto the interior of wall 92. In a typical gravel treatment, the openings in wall 91 may be two inches in diameter and those in wall 92 one inch in diameter. Material deposited on the interior of wall 92 will either pass through the wall or else be carried over the end as tailings. Suitable chutes and troughs may be positioned about the drum to collect each of the three efiiuents.

Although the invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended to be illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, such as for instance by the addition of other zones such as 71 and 72, each having their own external helicoid, elevator means and discharge chute. Consequently, the extent of the invention is to be determined by the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A portable device for the classification and washing of aggregate comprising a generally rectangular mobile frame; a motor mounted on one end of said frame; a hollow cylindrical drum rotatably mounted on said frame longitudinally spaced apart from said motor; a shaft journaled between vertically extending frame members on which said drum is mounted; a screw conveyor including integral hopper means mounted on said frame intermediate said motor and said drum, discharging into one end thereof; said motor including a shaft, said screw conveyor including a shaft on which its flights are mounted, these shafts and said drum mounting shaft being operatively connected and in axial alignment so that rotation of said motor rotates both said conveyor and said drum shafts; a water tight trough mounted on said frame surrounding and enclosing the lower portion of said drum; said drum further including internal transverse generally circular dividers delineating a plurality of internal longitudinal zones and preventing passage of oversize aggregate therebetween, formainous walls the mesh of which differs from zone to zone; a plurality of helicoids affixed to the exterior of said drum, one helicoid being associated with each zone; a plurality of bucket elevators alfixed to the exterior of said drum, each elevator being associated with a given zone and being longitudinally positioned proximate the terminus of the helicoid for said zone; discharge means associated with each of said elevators; constant level means for circulating Water through said trough; an internal elevator mounted on said drum at the end thereof remote from said screw conveyor; discharge means for tailings operatively associated with said internal elevator; rotation of said motor simultaneously causing said screw conveyor to feed material from its hopper into one end of said drum, tailings to be discharged by said internal elevator from the other end of said drum, material to pass through said foraminous walls into said trough at predetermined longitudinal locations dependent upon its size, each of said helicoids to urge solid material along said trough, within the boundaries of each of said zones, toward its elevator, and the discharge of solid material of a given size range by each of said external elevators; all of said solid materials being washed by water present in said trough.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein, further, discrete comminuting elements are present Within at least one of said longitudinal internal Zones.

3. The device of claim 2 which further includes an auxiliary rotating cylindrical screen having a plurality of co-axial foraminous walls, rotatably mounted on said frame at the end thereof remote from said motor; a shaft for rotating said auxiliary screen which is an extension of said drum shaft and in axial alignment therewith; said discharge means for tailings feeding directly into the core of said auxiliary screen.

4. The device of claim 1 which further includes an auxiliary rotating cylindrical screen having a plurality of co-axial forarninous walls, rotatably mounted on said rame at the end thereof remote from said motor; a shaft for rotating said auxiliary screen which is an exten sion of said drum shaft and in axial alignment therewith; said discharge means for tailings feeding directly into the core of said auxiliary screen.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 671,116 Neighbor Apr. 2, 1901 687,519 Davidson Nov. 26, 1901 1,037,371 Tscherning Sept. 3, 1912 1,118,846 Dreisbach Nov. 24, 1914 1,684,366 Dolbear Sept. 11, 1928 2,296,851 Henry Sept. 29, 1942 2,480,085 Mitchell Aug. 23, 1949 2,806,600 Bryan et al Sept. 17, 1957 2,824,701 Vester et al. Feb. 25, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 101,064 Germany 1899 887,781 Germany Aug. 27, 1953 

1. A PORTABLE DEVICE FOR THE CLASSIFICATION AND WASHING OF AGGREGATE COMPRISING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR MOBILE FRAME; A MOTOR MOUNTED ON ONE END OF SAID FRAME; A HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL DRUM ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME LONGITUDINALLY SPACED APART FROM SAID MOTOR; A SHAFT JOURNALED BETWEEN VERTICALLY EXTENDING FRAME MEMBERS ON WHICH SAID DRUM IS MOUNTED; A SCREW CONVEYOR INCLUDING INTEGRAL HOPPER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME INTERMEDIATE SAID MOTOR AND SAID DRUM, DISCHARGING INTO ONE END THEREOF; SAID MOTOR INCLUDING A SHAFT, SAID SCREW CONVEYOR INCLUDING A SHAFT ON WHICH ITS FLIGHTS ARE MOUNTED, THESE SHAFTS AND SAID DRUM MOUNTING SHAFT BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED AND IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT SO THAT ROTATION OF SAID MOTOR ROTATES BOTH SAID CONVEYOR AND SAID DRUM SHAFTS; A WATER TIGHT TROUGH MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME SURROUNDING AND ENCLOSING THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID DRUM; SAID DRUM FURTHER INCLUDING INTERNAL TRANSVERSE GENERALLY CIRCULAR DIVIDERS DELINEATING A PLURALITY OF INTERNAL LONGITUDINAL ZONES AND PREVENTING PASSAGE OF OVERSIZE AGGREGATE THEREBETWEEN, FORMAINOUS WALLS THE MESH OF WHICH DIFFERS FROM ZONE TO ZONE; A PLURALITY OF HELICOIDS AFFIXED TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID DRUM, ONE HELICOID BEING ASSOCIATED WITH EACH ZONE; A PLURALITY OF BUCKET ELEVATORS AFFIXED TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID DRUM, EACH ELEVATOR BEING ASSOCIATED WITH A GIVEN ZONE AND BEING LONGITUDINALLY POSITIONED PROXIMATE THE TERMINUS OF THE HELICOID FOR SAID ZONE; DISCHARGE MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID ELEVATORS; CONSTANT LEVEL MEANS FOR CIRCULATING WATER THROUGH SAID TROUGH; AN INTERNAL ELEVATOR MOUNTED ON SAID DRUM AT THE END THEREOF REMOTE FROM SAID SCREW CONVEYOR; DISCHARGE MEANS FOR TAILINGS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID INTERNAL ELEVATOR; ROTATION OF SAID MOTOR SIMULTANEOUSLY CAUSING SAID SCREW CONVEYOR TO FEED MATERIAL FROM ITS HOPPER INTO ONE END OF SAID DRUM, TAILINGS TO BE DISCHARGED BY SAID INTERNAL ELEVATOR FROM THE OTHER END OF SAID DRUM, MATERIAL TO PASS THROUGH SAID FORAMINOUS WALLS INTO SAID TROUGH AT PREDETERMINED LONGITUDINAL LOCATIONS DEPENDENT UPON ITS SIZE, EACH OF SAID HELICOIDS TO URGE SOLID MATERIAL ALONG SAID TROUGH, WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF EACH OF SAID ZONES, TOWARD ITS ELEVATOR, AND THE DISCHARGE OF SOLID MATERIAL OF A GIVEN SIZE RANGE BY EACH OF SAID EXTERNAL ELEVATORS; ALL OF SAID SOLID MATERIALS BEING WASHED BY WATER PRESENT IN SAID TROUGH. 